Think about your favorite movie. Is it an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster? A cult classic you first saw in your teenage years? Is it a musical? Animated? Live-action? Now think about where it was made.
For all the variety in the average American film and television library, most of our entertainment is made right here in the U.S. — or, if not filmed here, at least made by American directors, writers and producers. It's no secret that Hollywood churns out great, high-budget films. But when the only movies you watch come from Hollywood, you end up missing out on works of art from around the world.
Many people avoid foreign films and TV shows because they require you to step outside your comfort zone. When you watch a foreign movie, you'll need to read subtitles and pay close attention to context clues. Some people just don't want to put in that much effort when watching entertainment.
If you've avoided foreign media up until now, you're not alone. But foreign film and television reward viewer effort. In fact, they enrich viewers' lives in ways domestic films cannot.
Here are six reasons you should start watching foreign TV and movies if you haven't already.
1. They immerse you in language.
Though you'll likely use subtitles when watching that show in French or Arabic, your ears will become accustomed to the sounds of the other languages while you listen. You'll get to hear how sentences come together for native speakers, and you might even pick up a few words or phrases just by reading along.
Some people even use foreign films to assist in language learning. Though you won't learn an entire language just by watching movies, they can teach you a little and help you appreciate the beauty of the language.
2. They teach you about film.
There's a reason people associate foreign films with die-hard film buffs. Though foreign films aren't necessarily pretentious, they attract self-proclaimed critics because they require the viewer to pay close attention to the tenets of filmmaking.
When you watch a foreign film, you're bound to encounter things that don't quite make sense to you. Even if you catch every line of subtitled dialogue, you might still struggle to understand context. However, by paying close attention to the actors and the camera work, you can fill in those gaps.
By forcing you to focus on what's happening onscreen, foreign films teach you to appreciate the art form in new ways.
3. They provide new cultural insight.
When you watch movies and television made in different countries, you gain unique insights into the way that culture views itself, its values and more.
When you watch a foreign film, pay close attention to the things that strike you as different. You might notice different attitudes toward family, community, education and even death. Often, by doing a little research, you can learn things about history and culture that enlighten you and help you understand not only the film but the world.
4. They inspire you to travel.
Some foreign films and TV shows might inspire you to take your newfound cultural knowledge into the real world.
When you see beautiful shots of the landscape or find yourself intrigued by some aspect of history or culture, you're more likely to travel to the destination to interact with real people in real settings. A foreign movie might be the nudge you need to visit somewhere new.
5. They reveal your own assumptions.
Watching foreign media can help reveal your culture's own assumptions and biases. A lot of media takes a culture's "norms" as the given. Foreign media from around the world does the same thing, but with different cultural assumptions.
When you expose yourself to lots of different "norms," the concept itself begins to break down, allowing you to see how arbitrary these assumptions really are. Watching foreign entertainment could open your eyes to new possibilities.
6. They remind you that we're all the same.
In the end, no matter how different a foreign TV show or movie might first appear, it really is the same as any media you're familiar with. All artful media aims to entertain audiences and reveal new truths about what it means to be human.
These movies remind us that, no matter our race, nationality, language or religion, we're all just people.
Find New Perspectives in Film
Though foreign films might push you out of your comfort zone, they can show you new perspectives on film and the world around you. If you haven't already, pick out a new movie or TV show on Netflix and grab some popcorn. You're in for a treat.
